Talking-machine.



C. F. A. STURTS.

TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1912. RENEWED AUG. 4. 1916.

191911611 Sept. 5,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR (.YQM

ATTORNEY C. F. A. STURTS.

TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. 1912. RENEWED AUG. 4, 19m.

Patented Sept. 5; 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\VETNESSES mvENmR 43% la. o'flaziy f-a C. F. A. STURTS.

TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25. 1912.

RENEWED AUG. 4,19I6.

PatentedSept. 5,1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

INVENTOR jmmcw 14 1 ya/Q, C

CHARLES F. A. STURTS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

TALKING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed November 25, 1912, Serial No. 733,316. Renewed August4, 1916. Serial No. 113,205.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. A. STURTs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco andState of California, have invented new and useful Improvements inTalking- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improve ments in talking machines,especially those of the disk type.

One object of the invention is to provide such a machine which willproduce a fuller and better tone, and in which the scraping, metallic,and discordant sounds heretofore always, so far as I am aware, producedby talking machines are practically eliminated, and in which the soundwaves produced by the diaphragm will not be checked or dampened in anyway but will be sustained, thus reproducing the original sounds withgreat accuracy.

A further object is to provide such a machine in which the disk can berotated at a substantially constant speed, by electricity, and in whichtherefore rewinding is not required.

A further object is to provide such a machine which will be inexpensiveand convenient in operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a broken vertical section of acabinet, showing in side elevation, my improved talking machine therein;Fig. 2 is a broken horizontal section of the cabinet above the diskcarrier; Fig. 3 is a'broken bottom plan view of the table of thecabinet; Fig. 4 is a section thereof on the line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 isan enlarged cross-section of a shaft; Fig. 6 is an enlarged verticalsection of a bearing; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side view of the sound box;Fig. 8 is a transverse section of the same in a different position,showing also a section of the end of the sound-conveying tube; Fig. 9 isa plan view, and Fig. 10 an end view of means for connecting the soundbox and the conveying tube.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the upper portion of a cabinethaving hinged thereto a cover 2. Cleats?) are secured to the sides ofthe cabinet at the top, and upon said cleats, is secured a table 4. Tothe under side of the table at the center is secured a plate 5 carryinga central stud 6 which projects into a central hole in the table, andthrough said hole extends around said stud a tube 7 depending from a hub8 secured to a circular record-carrier 9 of the usual form, providedwith a central pin 11 adapted to pass into a central hole in a record inthe usual manner. To the under side of this table are secured the upperends of four springs 12, to the lower ends of which is attached thecasing 13 of an electric motor receiving its electricity from anysuitable source, not here shown. By suspending the motor from springs,the noise resulting from Vibration of the motor is absolutelyeliminated, and said vibration can in no way be detected, and does notin the least affect the desired reproduction of the sound by the talkingmachine. The shaft 14 of said motor carries a small pulley 16 aroundWhich travels a belt 17 which also travels around a large pulley 18 on ashaft 19, the ends of which are conical and rotate in conical bearings21, adjustably secured by means of screws 22 in holes formed in theupper ends of standards 23 secured to the outer ends of arms 24. Saidarms are secured to a bar 26, in the ends of which are formed conicalbearings 27 in which are fitted conical pivot pins 28 adjustably securedby screws 29 in hangers 31 depending from a strip of metal 32 screwed tothe under side of the table, a strip 33 of rubber being interposedbetween the strip 32 and the table. Blocks 34 are also secured to theunder side of the table, and to the under side of said blocks aresecured, each by screws 35, ends of flat springs 36, bent upward attheir free ends, and each .aressin a ainst the under side of the freeend of one of the arms 24. Upon said shaft 19 is adjustably secured, ashereinafter explained, a wheel 37, having a rubber tire 38, which, beingpressed upward by the springs 36, contacts with the under side of therec- 0rd carrier 9, the table being formed with a suitable slot 39 topeimit said shaft 19, pulley 18, and wheel 37 to operate.

It has heretofore not been found pract1- cable, so far as I am aware, torotate the disk or record-carrier of a talking machine by an electricmotor, for the reason that the the original tones.

electric current supplied to the motor for so rotating it fluctuatesgreatly in magnitude and hence causes a variation in speed of therotating disk, which in turn causes a variation in the rapidity of thevibrations, which therefore incorrectly reproduce the pitch of Iovercome this difficulty by the above described arrangement for rotatingthe disk from the motor, for it will be observed that, while the motor,which is of low-power, rotates at a high speed, the pulley 18 is of muchgreater diameter than the pulley 16 and therefore rotates at a lowerspeed, and the wheel 37 is of a much less diameter than the pulley 18thus again reducing the speed of rotation. By reason of thecircumference of the wheel 37 being much smaller than that of the partof the disk with which it is in contact, there is a still furtherreduction of the speed. In consequence the motor is obliged to make aconsiderable number of revolutions to each revolution of the disk. Sincethe transmission is not positive, but entirely frictional, the inertiaof the record-carrier, rotating at a comparatively low speed, cannot beovercome, and the speed of the carrier varied, by rapid variations ofthe low-power motor, rotating at a high speed. 7

I have found that, with a transmission of the above described character,I can use an electric motor and an ordinary city current and obtain aspeed of the disk having no perceptible variation.

For the purpose of varying the speed of the disk as desired, the wheel37 is formed with hubs 41, on one of which is secured one end of aspring 42, the other end of which is secured to one end of a pin 43,which passes through a hole in the hub, the other end of the pindepending into a groove 44 extending longitudinally in the shaft 19.Straddling the wheel, and slightly engaging the outer sides of the hubs41, is a' fork 45 attached to, and extending from, a slidepiece 46,formed with two slots 47 which engage screws 48, screwed into a brassplate 49 secured upon the top of the table, one side of the slidepiecebeing formed with a rack 51 which is engaged by a small pinion 52 havinga suitable bearing in said brass plate, and having a knob or handle 53,by which it may be turned. By turning said pinion the rack is moved,correspondingly moving the fork and the wheel 37, to vary the rateatwhich rotation is transmitted from the motor to the rotating disk.

Secured, as shown at 54, to the rear wall of the cabinet are ends ofarms 56, extending parallel with the said rear wall and at a shortdistance therefrom. To the free ends of said arms are secured clamps 57,which clamp to said arms a long, slightly flaring, straight, portion 58of a horn 59, which extends upwardly from the lower end of said straightportion 58 and flares greatly to its open end. Rigidly secured to saidstraight portion of the horn, immediately above the upper clamp 57therefor, are secured two, upper and lower, plates 70, 71. To theseplates are secured two vertical rods 72, one on each side of saidstraight portion of the horn, the plates 70, 71 being spacedsuiliciently to furnish a rigid support for said vertical rods. Saidrods 72 extend upward, and pass through a hole 73 in the table, and totheir upper ends is secured by screws 74 a cross plate 7 6. Said crossplate is formed with a central brass casing 77, opening downwardly, inwhich casing is embedded a block 78 of fiber, and in said block isdriven, or otherwise firmly secured, a downwardly pointed stud or pivotpin 79. Secured in the straight portion 58 of the horn at its upper endis a narrow cross bar 81, to the center of which is secured a bearingblock 82 having a conical bearing 83.

84 indicates the bent swinging arm or tube for conveying the sound fromthe sound box. The lower end of said arm is provided with a cross bar 86having a central socket 87 containing a fiber block 88, in which is adownwardly pointing pivot pin 89 fitting in the conical bearing 83. Uponthe outer side of said swinging tube is formed a boss 91, in which is aconical bearing 92, in which is received the downwardly pointing pin 79.By this arrangement it will be observed that the swinging tube issecured directly to the horn, and is independent of the table or anyother part of the cabinet. Moreover yielding nonmetallic material isinterposed between the sound-conveying tube and the horn at the pivotsof the former. Consequently the sound vibrations received by saidswinging arm are conveyed to the horn undampened and are produced bysaid horn with great clearness, purity and resonance.

In order to obtain the full effect of the sound reproduced, the cabinetis formed shown. The openings 93 will, for the purpose of excludingdust, be closed as is usual by silk or suitable screening material, nothere shown.

The free end of the sound tube is T- shaped so as to form a transversetubular bearing 98, in which rotates a tube 101, at one end closed andsecured by a screw 102 to an end of an arm 103, carrying at the otherend a cylindrical weight 1.04 extending parallel with the tube 101. Theinner end of the arm 103 is formed with holes 106 for screwing steadypins 105 therein to secure said arm against rotation on said tube and sothat it extends in a downward direction approximately parallel with theneedle carrier lever 119 hereinafter described. Said weight thus forms avery convenient handle for turning up the sound box to change theneedle, and it also forms a stop resting on the sound conveying tubewhen the sound box is so turned up. Within said tube 101 there issecured an oblique Wall 107, whereon the sound entering the tube at'itsopen end impinges and is then reflected along themain portion of thesound tube. Around the open end of the tube 101 is secured a plate 108having a suitable number, three being here shown, of bayonet slots 109,adapted to receive headed pins 111 extending from an annular plate 112secured to the reproducer casing 1.14 by screws 113 passing through arubber gasket 115. The plate 108 is cut in three places, said cutsextending radially outward from the extreme portions of the narrow endsof said bayonet slots so as to form in the plate outside said bayonetslots, three tongues 110. These tongues are permanently bent outward, asshown in Fig. 9, but, the plate being of resilient material, when, thepins are inserted in the wide ends of said bayonet slots and thereproducer casing 114 is turned so that said pins enter the narrowportions, the tongues 110 bear against the inner surfaces of the headsof said pins and by their pressure thereon cause the annular plate 112secured to the reproducer casing to fit tightly against said plate 108.Said reproducer casing is made of wood or metal, and in said casing isthe diaphragm 117. I have found it desirable to make this diaphragm ofwood, and considerably larger than the ordinary mica diaphragm. Thecircular edge of the diaphragm is clamped between soft rubber rings 118,said clamping being effected by the securement to each other of thesides of the casing. .To oneside of this diaphragm is secured in thecenter the long arm of a needle carrier lever 119, the short arm ofwhich carries in the usual manner the needle 121,. Said lever 119 issecured to a shaft 122 formed with conical ends, which ends are receivedin conical recesses in the ends of screws 12S screwed through hangers124 secured to, or formed integral, with the sound-reproducing box. Byscrewing these screws in or out, the freedom of motion of the shaft inits conical bearings can be regulated. From the reenter of said shaftextends a spring arm 125, thefree end of which is held between rubberwashers 126, which are contained between metallic Washers 127, which inturn are contained between adjusting nuts 128, which are screwed on ascrew 129 extending from a cross bar 130 connecting the two hangers. Inthis way the tension of the spring plate, producing pressure of the longarm against the diaphragm, can be regulated as desired.

I have found that a wooden diaphragm, considerably larger than the micadiaphragm ordinarily used, gives excellent sound reproduction,especially with the arrangement of the sound box to vibrate on an axisin line with its center. By reason of the mode of attachment of the hornto the rear wall of the cabinet, said rear wall itself acts as asounding board. In consequence, and because of the oblique soundingboard and the free support of the horn, the vibrations are greatlyamplified, so that a good tone is obtained even with a needle of mediumsize, which tone, of course, is less free from discordant sounds.

I claim 1. In combination with a cabinet having openings in its frontand side walls, a sounding board in the cabinet extending obliquelyrearwardly and downwardly, and the side edges extending adjacent to theopenings in the side walls, the front edge being secured near the top ofthe opening in the front Wall, a talking machine supported by saidcabinet above said sounding board, and a horn extending from saidtalking machine near the rear wall of the cabinet and behind the rearedge of said sounding board downwardly to a level below the same andthen upwardly, the mouth of the horn being directed toward the underside of said sounding board.

2. In combination with a talking machine, and a cabinettherefor, upperand lower horizontal arms each connected only at one end to a wall ofsaid cabinet, and extending substantially parallel with, and at a shortdistance from, said wall, said arms being longer than their distancefrom said wall, and a horn supported wholly by the other ends of saidarms.

3. In combination with a talking machine,

,a cabinet therefor, and a sounding board,

the upper edge of said sounding board being connected to the front wallof said cabinet, and said sounding board sloping downwardly to the rear,the cabinet having an opening in its front wall beneath the upper edgeof the sounding board, and an opening in a side wall extending above andbelow the sounding board, and a horn arranged obliquely to the soundingboard for directing on to said sounding board the sound pro duced by thetalking machine.

4. In a talking machine having a record carrier, a table therefor, arotary shaft, a wheel carried thereby contacting with the under side ofsaid record carrier, bearings for said shaft, arms upon the free ends ofmeasee which said bearings are carried, a shaft to In testimony whereofI have hereunto set which the other ends of said arms are semy hand inthe presence of two subscribing cured, bearings for said latter shaftsup- Witnesses.

ported by the table, means for pressing up- CHARLES F. A. STURTS. wardthe wheel shaft, a motor, and an op- Witnesses:

erative connection between said motor and FRANCIS M. WRIGHT,

wheel shaft. D. B. RICHARDS.

